Paneling: A Light Touch For Boring Walls

Prefinished panels remain one of the most attractive ways to refinish the interior of masonry walls or uneven or damaged wall surfaces where painting or wallpapering isn't practical.

Homeowners and do-it-yourselfers will find prefinished panels with many new patterns and finishes available at home centers. For example, an unsightly or dull wall or room can be given a finish resembling wood, stucco, wallpaper, bricks, stones or ceramic tiles.

Paneling an uneven wall, or a wall that is also to be insulated, requires some preliminary work called furring or framing to bring the wall surface to a flat condition.

Furring is often done with wood strips 3/4-inch thick and 2 inches or 3 inches wide. The strips are sold in 8-foot lengths at many home centers and lumberyards. This type of furring is used if the wall is not to be insulated, or if insulating panels no thicker than 3/4-inch are to be used. Rigid-foam insulating panels of polystyrene, polyisocyanurate or polyurethane foam are normally used between 3/4-inch furring strips.

If additional insulating capacity is wanted, standard 2-by-3s can be used for furring strips. If laid flat, these strips are 1 1/2 inches thick and permit use of insulating panels up to that thickness.

Below-grade masonry walls that are to be furred but not insulated with foam panels should be first covered with a moisture and air-infiltration barrier of flexible plastic.

The plastic sheets, of polyvinyl or polyethelene, are sold at most home centers and hardware stores and should be placed over all exterior walls that are to be paneled, but are not needed for partitions or interior walls.

The plastic sheets can sometimes be stapled to the wood sill plate on top of most masonry walls or can be temporarily taped in place with weatherstripping tape.

When the furring strips are nailed in place, the strips will hold the plastic sheets permanently in place. The plastic sheeting isn't necessary when rigid-foam insulation is used because the foam panels will serve the same purpose.

Here are other tips for furring masonry walls prior to paneling:

-- The furring strips can be installed either horizontally or vertically, but if insulation is to be used, a vertical installation is best.

The strips should be placed vertically on either 16-inch or 24-inch centers to provide a properly spaced frame for inserting the insulation strips and for nailing and gluing the paneling, which is normally sold in sheets 4 feet wide by 8 feet high.

Leave about 1/2-inch of space between the ends of the strips at floor and ceiling; the space can be covered with molding after the paneling is installed.

If installed horizontally and without insulation, the furring strips should be spaced on 16-inch centers. Additional gluing-nail blocks are then installed vertically on 48-inch centers and in corners. With horizontal strips, also leave a 1/2-inch space at floor and ceiling.

-- Furring strips can be attached to dry masonry walls with construction adhesive or specially hardened masonry nails or both. Always drill pilot holes in the strips for the nails to avoid splitting the wood.

If a moisture barrier is installed first or the wall is very uneven, use of adhesive isn't practical and nails alone must be used. Use a heavy hammer or small sledge to drive the nails and wear goggles to protect against flying pieces of metal, wood or masonry.

-- Furring strips will need shimming on uneven walls. Cedar shingles, sold in bundles at many lumberyards, make fine shims.

Cut the shingles into small pieces to obtain shims of various thicknesses. When installing furring strips, use a carpenter's level to make sure the strips are level or plumb and use shims as needed between the strips and the wall to hold the strips flat when they are fastened in place.

-- If rigid-foam insulation is used on the wall, building codes require that it be covered with 1/2-inch gypsum board, since the plastic foams are flammable.

The gypsum-board panels can be nailed to the furring strips with drywall nails or construction adhesive can be used to hold them in place. The gypsum- board joints need not be taped or finished, but when the prefinished panels are installed their joints should be staggered with the joints of the gypsum board.

-- Before installing prefinished paneling below grade, separate the panels and stand them around the room for at least 48 hours to permit them to adapt to the temperature and moisture conditions.

Panels installed above grade should be given a 24-hour adjustment period. Colored paneling nails and-or adhesive can be used to fasten the paneling to furring strips and gypsum board.

A space of 1/4-inch should be left between panels and floor and ceiling in below-grade installations, and a 1/8-inch space should be left at top and bottom above grade.

Temporarily standing the panels on a shim of proper thickness will help maintain the spacing. A gap of 1/16th-inch should also be left between adjoining panels -- a dime makes a good gauge for maintaining this spacing.